This study of the chemical transformation of the tastes and textures of food through cooking has a chef-centric approach instead of a science-centric approach, which makes it more useful to the everyday cook. Understanding even the basic interactions between common ingredients can lead to more consistent and successful cooking.

One recently popular process is spherification, which creates small gel spheres resembling caviar that pop with flavor when eaten.

Traditional spherification uses sodium alginate and calcium to create delicate molecular droplets, but in this project we will employ a much simpler technique using agar and cooled oil. You can imagine agar like gelatin, which is liquid at high temperatures but solidifies when cooled. We take advantage of this property by dripping the hot mixture into cold oil so that it forms a gelatinous sphere as it rapidly cools. These “caviar” can then be added in place of a traditional splash of balsamic for a fun textural treat!

Balsamic Caviar

Figure A

1. Pour the olive oil into a tall glass and place the glass into the freezer for about 30 minutes (Figure A).

Figure B

2. Pour the balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and sprinkle with agar (Figures B and C). Whisk constantly and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove the mixture from the heat and skim to remove any impurities.

Figure C

3. When the temperature drops to between 120°F and 130°F (Figure D), fill a syringe with the agar solution and carefully drip one drop at a time into the cold oil (Figure E). The syringe should be high enough that the drops sink into the oil, but not so high that they split into smaller droplets. The spheres can be stored in the oil in the refrigerator until they are ready to be served.

Figure D

Figure E

Bruschetta

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Dice the red onion and place it into a bowl. Add the lemon juice and let sit for at least 15 minutes.

3. Slice the baguette diagonally. Place the slices onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until toasted, approximately 20 minutes.

4. Dice the tomatoes and mince the garlic. Mix both into the bowl of red onions.

5. Remove the toasted bread from the oven and place a slice of mozzarella on each.

6. Arrange two large basil leaves on each mozzarella slice and top with a spoonful of the tomato mixture.

7. Gently scoop the balsamic caviar from the oil and spoon it onto the tomato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

More Molecular Gastronomy

Cream whippers can be exploited for many other culinary creations, such as rapid flavor infusions and marinades, in a method called nitrogen cavitation.

How it Works

Nitrogen cavitation homogenizes cells and tissues using rapid decompression of gases. Add nitrous oxide gas (N₂O) to your ingredients in the cream whipper and release the pressure rapidly, causing nitrogen bubbles to form within the cells and expand, breaking the cell walls. This releases flavor compounds quickly, allowing them to easily dissolve in solution and permeate other ingredients. It even tenderizes meats.

I have earned $104000 last year by working on-line from home a­­n­­d I manage to do it by working in my own time f­­o­­r 3+ h /day. I was following an earning model I came across from this website i found online and I am so happy that I was able to earn so much money. It’s beginner friendly a­n­d I’m so blessed that i learned about it. Here’s what I did… http://libr.ae/2gaf

Gregg Fautley

At what temperature will the balsamic balls melt back to a liquid?

Paloma Juanita Fautley

I think they can get pretty hot without melting (definitely a lot hotter than gelatin), but I haven’t tested where the limit is. Based on some quick research I would guess that it would be around 180 degrees F.

Gregg Fautley

Thanks. This has concerned me for a while. At least, it’s hotter than the upper limits of the average pallette. (SP?)

I’ve earned $104000 in last twelve months by freelancing from my house a­­n­­d I manage to do it by w­orking part-time f­­o­­r few hours a day. I followed work opportunity I was introduced by this website i found on-line and I am thrilled that i earned so much extra income. It’s very newbie-friendly a­­n­­d I’m just so thankful that I found out about it. This is what i do… http://s.id/1dR

I got paid 104000 bucks previous year by freelancing from home a­­n­­d I did that by w­o­r­k­i­n­g part-time f­­o­­r 3+ hrs on daily basis. I was following work opportunity I came across from company that i found online and I am so amazed that i was able to make so much extra income. It’s very beginner friendly a­n­d I’m just so happy that I found out about this. Here is what i do… http://ibty.co/Cbh

I’ve profited 104000 dollars in last twelve months by working on-line from home and I did it by work­ing part time for 3+ hours each day. I followed an earning opportunity I came across online and I am thrilled that i earned so much money. It’s user-friendly a­­n­­d I’m so thankful that I found out about it. Here is what i do… http://tny.im/8yP

I have profited $104k last year by doing an on-line job a­­n­­d I was able to do it by wor­king part-time f­o­r 3+ hours every day. I was following a business model I came across online and I am excited that i was able to make so much money. It’s very user-friendly a­n­d I am just so grateful that i learned about it. Here’s what I did… http://gee.su/Oe3NH

I was paid 104000 bucks last year by doing an online job a­n­d I manage to accomplish that by wor­king part-time f­­o­­r several h daily. I was following an earning opportunity I found on-line and I am so happy that i earned such great money. It’s so user friendly and I’m just so grateful that i found this. Here is what i did… http://gee.su/XbrAK

I’ve made 104 thousand dollars in last twelve months by doing an online job from home a­­n­­d I did it by wo­rking part-time for 3+ hours /day. I used a business model I found on-line and I am so excited that I was able to earn so much money on the side. It’s beginner friendly a­n­d I’m so happy that i found it. This is what i do… http://www.wzurl.me/UhyySA

byers.michael

I profited 104 thousand dollars in 2016 by doing an on-line job at my house and I manage to accomplish that by working part-time for several h each day. I used a money making opportunity I stumbled upon from this website i found online and I am happy that I was able to earn such great money. It’s user-friendly a­­n­­d I am just so grateful that i discovered it. This is what i did… http://www.wzurl.me/tPSR1w

I profited 104 thousand dollars in last twelve months by freelancing from my house a­­n­­d I manage to do it by working part-time for several hrs daily. I used a money making model I stumbled upon from this website i found online and I am so excited that i earned so much money on the side. It’s beginner-friendly and I’m just so blessed that i found this. This is what i did… http://dr.tl/186020